Electric furnace for the continuous manufacture of glass.



M. SAUVAGEON. ELECTRIC FURNAGE FOR THE CONTINUOUS MANUFACTURE OF GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1909. V

Patented-May 20, 1913.

memos SAUVAGEON, F COLOMBES, FRANCE.

ELECTRIC FURNACE FDR THE CONTINUOUS MANUFACTURE OF GLASS.

Specification of Letters l atent.

Patented Ma 20, 1913.

Application filed August 5, 1909. Serial No. 511,375.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARIUS SAUVAGEON, a resident of'Oolombes, Seine, France, a citizen of the French Republic, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Furnaces for the Continuous Manucomhinin fac-ture of Glass, of which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to furnaces for the manufacture of glass, or Vitreous silicates generally, more particularly furnaces of the type in which the high resistance of molten glass to the passage of an electric current is availed of for the production of the heat required to melt down the raw materials.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a furnace of this character in which the minimum amount of electric energy shall be required.

A further object is to provide convenient and effective means for maintaining the manufactured glass at a temperature suitable for working.

To these -and other ends the furnace is so constructed and arranged, as more fully described hereinafter, that the only operations in the manufacture which require heat shall 7 be confined to a single chamber of relatively small size, so that the heat will be utilizedat the point of itsdevelopment, or, con-.

versely, will be developed at the point where it is needed. In other words, a single source of heat, namely, the flow of current through a single mass .of molten glass, is employed for the melting and refining operations. In combination with the melting andrefining chamber is a working chamber into which the finished glass flows at substantially its rate of production. This working chamber is also a cooling chamber, in which the fluid glass from the melting and refining chamber cools down to a suitable temperature for working, that is, for blowing or suchother' processes as are employed to transform the glassinto articles of commerce. By thus: the operations requiring heat,'; and by, the pro uction of that is, t e melting-and refinin localizing or confinin heat to a sin 1e cham er I am enabled to materially re uce the amount of heat need ed, and, in consequence, the electrlc power or energy required, withoutreduction of the amount of glass produced. Moreover, by suitable arrangement. of the melting and refining chamber I am able to employ low voltage current, thereby practically eliminating the danger to the workmen, who,

where high voltages are used, run considerable risk in handling such circuits.

Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

and referring now thereto, Figure 1 is a horizontal section illustrating one form of furnace. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line IJ. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showing a similarform of furnace but with two workingchambers fed from the same melting and refining chamber. I

In the furnaces illustrated, the melting and refining chamber, designated by l", is

compact in form and the electrodes, 4.4, 5 are at the sides of the chamber, so that the course of the current is across the chamber and the current path is correspondingly short. The total resistance being low by reason of the short current path and its large cross be employed, with lessened danger to the workmen, who would otherwise run some risk ,of injurious shock in handling .high tension circuits. The working chamber at the end of the melting and refining cham-' her, is in communication therewith through an outletpassage 6 but is separated therefrom by a floating barrier or dam l2. Over the whole is a roof .13, having openings at its ends provided, with removable closures l4, 15, to permit introduction of raw masection, low voltage current may terial into the melting and refining chamber and the withdrawal of the finished glass from the working chamber whenever de-' sired. With the low tension current em ployed in these furnaces the temperature in the working chamber is low enough to permit withdrawal of the glass therefrom by the direct introduction .of a blow-pipe or ing chambers are provided, fed from the shown.

ber by the inflow of imperfectly melted portions. The furnace is started with a mass of molten glass poured into the melting and refining chamber or "by the agency of an arc, as will be readily understood.

In the furnace shown in'Fig. 3-two Worksa ne melting and refining chamber, the ca pacity of the latter being correspondingly increased. r

Where low tension currents areused, it may happen that the glass, leaving the melting and refining chamber at a relatively 10W temperature, may 0001 down too much in the working chamber. To obviate this, a suitable source of heat may be provided in conjunction with the working chamber to keep It is to be understood that the furnaces herein specifically illustrated and described are merely, convenient and efl'ecive forms,

of the invention, which is capable of other embodiments Without departing from its proper spirit and scope.

Other forms of my invention are described and claimed in my Patents Nos. 972,778 and 972,779, issued October 11th,

I claim: v

1. An electric furnace for the continuous production of glass, comprising in combination, a single melting and refining means comprising a melting and' refining chamber of relatively small capacity, a mass of molten glass in said chamber, constituting 'a heating resistance and serving to support by flotation a mass of. glass-producing mate-' rial, and electrodes immersed inthe molten glass in said chamber, the heat produced by current through the said mass of molten' glass serving to melt the glass-producing material and to refine the resulting glass; and a working chamber receiving glass from the melting and refining chamber.

2. An electric furnace for the continuous production of glass, .comprising in combinat1on, a single meltlng and refining means.

comprising a combined melting and refining chamber, a mass of molten glass therein constituting a heating resistance and serving to support by flotation a mass of glass producing material, and electrodes immersed in the molten glass in the said chamber and arranged to give a relatively short currentpath through the glass whereby'to permit the use of low tension current; and a work- I ing chamber located out of the direct path of the current and arranged to receive refined glass from the said melting and refining chamber.

3. In an electric furnace for the continuous production of glass, in combination, a single melting and refining means compris: ing a combined melting and refining chamber, a mass of molten glass" in said chamber,

4.. In an electric furnace for the continu-.

ous production of glass, in combination, a

combined melting and refining chamber having an outlet passage, a mass of molten glass in said chamber, constituting a heating resistance and serving to support by flotation a mass of glass-producing material, electrodes immersed in the molten glass in said chamber and arranged relatively close together Whereby to give a short current path through the glass and permit the employment of current of low voltage, a working chamber receiving refined glass from the melting and refining chamber but located out of the direct path of the current, and having a roof, and an electrical heating resistance carried by the roof, for'maintaining the glass in the working chamber at a suitable working temperature.

5. An electric furnace for the continuous production of glass, comprising in combination, a single melting and refining means comprising a combined melting and refining chamber having an outlet passage at its end, a mass of molten glass in said chamber, constituting a heating resistance and serving to support by flotation a mass of glass proucing material, and electrodes immersed in 'the mass of molten glass at the sides of the melting and refining chamber whereby the current will flow across the chamber; and a working chamber located at the end of the said melting and refining chamber and arranged to receive refined glass therefrom through said outlet passage.

6. An electric furnace for the continuous production of glass comprising in combination, a combined melting andrefining chamber having anoutlet passage at its end, a mass of molten glass in said chamber, constituting a heating resistance and serving to support by flotation a mass of glass-producseparate the upper portions of the glass in ing material, electrodes immersed in the said the two chambers. mass of molten glass at the sides of the melt- In testimony whereof I have signed my ing and refining chamber whereby the curname to this specification in the presence of 5 rant vgill flow agross tlif chamber, adwoif'kiililg two subscribing witnesses.

0 am er locate at t e outlet en 0 t e melting and refining chamber and arranged MARIUS SAUVAGEON' -to receive refined glass therefrom through Witnesses:

the outlet passage, and a dam or barrier H. C. COKE, 10 across the upper part of said passage to DOUM CASALONGA. 

